Recuérdame

Regina (POV)

That night, Robin decided to take me to Granny's for dinner to celebrate our first month together. I remember thinking he could’ve put in a bit more effort and come up with something more romantic. However, seeing his expression when we arrived, I figured he hadn’t expected it to be karaoke night, nor for the place to be so crowded. Even though the atmosphere wasn’t very romantic, we decided to stay since we had a reservation. Robin promised to make it up to me somehow, but I wasn’t paying much attention at the time. My mind was busy wondering if Emma would be there. Ever since I started dating Robin, I hadn’t seen her, except for a couple of times when she came to pick up Henry.

The night passed with various people taking the stage—some drunker or better singers than others. One moment that stuck in my memory was the look Ruby gave me when she brought our order. At the time, I didn’t understand why she looked at me with such hatred and disappointment. I thought it was just another person still judging me for my past, but how wrong I was. The reason was far different from what I imagined.

During dinner, everything was more or less calm. We spent the time talking; I remember Robin telling me about his day in the forest with his men, and I told him about mine at City Hall. However, I clearly recall that the moment I heard Emma’s name, I couldn’t help but lose focus, forgetting Robin entirely and directing all my attention to the stage.

When Emma stepped onto the stage, something inside me broke. It had been so long since I’d seen her up close... She had become such an important pillar in my life, but that pillar was now gone, and I felt as though my life was limping for reasons I couldn’t yet understand. I was startled by the magnitude of that feeling, by seeing her there on the stage preparing to sing a song.

Before she started singing, she looked at me. She looked different, more subdued, as if the strong and confident Emma I knew had disappeared. I knew something had changed between us, but I had been too much of a coward to admit it. The way she avoided my gaze hurt me more than I was willing to acknowledge. And it was my fault.

Deja que hable, deja que hoy te cuente,
como quema que te vayas entre lágrimas me duele.
Déjame verte, una despedida y ya me quedo en este infierno al ver que hoy me olvidas. Párale los pies a ese reloj que nos controla que no nos deja ser,
que apaguen el sol de una vez.
("Let me speak, let me tell you today, how it burns that you leave; it hurts me through tears. Let me see you, one last goodbye, and I’ll stay in this hell seeing that today you forget me. Stop the feet of that clock that controls us, that doesn’t let us be, let them turn off the sun once and for all.")

She began to sing, and her voice surprised me. She sang beautifully, but there was a tone of sadness in her voice that shook me. In that moment, I understood. How had I been so blind? She had fallen in love with me, despite the fact that in our relationship, we had clearly defined it as purely physical, without feelings.

Recuérdame ahora que ya decidiste ir con Él...
Que sea lo que deba ser aunque a mí me toque perder.
Recuérdame ahora que tu piel ya se fundió con su piel su mundo ya gira en torno a ti y tú no piensas volver...
("Remember me now that you’ve already decided to go with him... Let it be what it must be, even if I have to lose. Remember me now that your skin has already merged with his, his world now revolves around you, and you don’t plan to return...")

My emotions were confused. I was supposed to be happy with Robin, but there I was, trying to understand why it affected me so much to see her on the stage with that lost and sad look. It had always been that way. You came and shook my world, the one I thought was calm, showing me it wasn’t as solid as I believed.

I raised my head and met your gaze, but you immediately looked away. Even so, I could see sadness, a bit of anger, and a lot of pain in your eyes. I realized that I was the cause of all that. In my days as a queen, those kinds of looks constantly haunted me, but I couldn’t bear yours.

Donde te marchas, donde piensas irte vayas donde vayas sé que ya no voy a perseguirte...
("Where are you going, where do you plan to go; wherever you go, I know I won’t chase you anymore...")

You had already left me, and it wasn’t supposed to matter so much. At first, when we met, I wanted you gone, wanted you to disappear from my life and Henry’s. But for some time now, I felt like I needed you—needed your support. You were the one who had always understood me, the one who hadn’t judged me at first sight. To you, I was always just Regina.

Cuánto le amas besa como eso dime que aún no te ha tocado como lo hicieron mis dedos, párale los pies a ese reloj que nos controla, que no nos deja ser,
que apaguen el Sol de una vez...
("How much do you love him? Kiss like this. Tell me he hasn’t touched you like my fingers did. Stop the feet of that clock that controls us, that doesn’t let us be, let them turn off the sun once and for all...")

I remembered our nights together and how they couldn’t compare to my nights with Robin. To what your fingers were capable of making me feel. In that moment, I understood the reason behind your adoration, how you revered my body. With you, passion over the nights turned into affection and love.

I felt stupid—how could I not have realized? And I felt horrible remembering the night I ended it, and your already red eyes. You saw us, didn’t you? You saw us in the woods, how he kissed me and how I reciprocated.

Recuérdame ahora que ya decidiste ir con Él...
Que sea lo que deba ser aunque a mí me toque perder...
Recuérdame ahora que tu piel ya se fundió con su piel, su mundo ya gira entorno a ti y tú no piensas volver...
("Remember me now that you’ve already decided to go with him... Let it be what it must be, even if I have to lose. Remember me now that your skin has already merged with his, his world now revolves around you, and you don’t plan to return...")

When the song ended, you stepped off the stage amidst applause and left the bar without looking at anyone. I was tempted to follow you, but fear consumed me. What was I going to do? My destiny was written. Robin was my soulmate, my true love, my happy ending. Without him, I’d have nothing, and it had taken me so much to get here. So, like a coward, I let you go and clung to what was easy, as I had been doing since I saw that tattoo and the loose page of a book a month ago.